The Gay family of Cass County
The Gay’s of the Center Hill Community, Cass County, Texas, are representative of America’s melting pot and the migration patterns of its immigrants. George Seal “Buster” Gay and Joseph Lee “J.L.” Gay are the elders of the present family and still live on the original Gay farm in Center Hill. Their paternal and maternal lineages reflect the rich history that belongs to those earlier generations that fought the battles and moved the frontiers.
Henry Gay emigrated from England to Nansemond County, Virginia in mid-1600, and died in Isle of Wight County, Virginia, circa 1688. His son, Henry Gay, Jr., married a daughter of Robert Lawrence.
They had seven children: John, Henry III, Thomas, William, Josiah, Ann and Sarah. Henry, Jr.’s son, Thomas Gay had six children: Jethro, Mary, Thomas, Jr., William, Fereby and John. Thomas Gay, Jr. m. Patience and had nine children: Joshua, Temperance, Allen, John, William, Joanna, Gilbert, Polly, and Thomas. Thomas Gay, Jr., moved to Franklin County, North Carolina. He had three sons serve in the War of Independence: Joshua, Allen, and John Gay. Allen Gay moved to Washington County, Georgia, and he m. Abigail Castleberry in 1787. They had nine children: John, William, Elizabeth, Temperance Ann, Thomas, Martha, James, Gilbert S., Elias, and Matilda. After Abigail’s death, Allen married a widow- Mrs. Ann Benton (nee Pickron, b. 1776 Md, d. Jan 15, 1871 Wilkinson Co, Ga).
There were no children from this marriage. Allen’s son, Thomas, m. Mary___( b. 1797 NC, d. 1865 Etowah Co, Al), and they had nine children: the names of two older daughters and a son are not known. Two other daughters were Catherine, Sarah, and sons, John Henry, Charles B., and Nicholas W. Thomas, a farmer, had at least three of his sons serve in the War Between the States: John Henry Gay, Charles B. Gay, and Nicholas W. Gay. John Henry Gay was wounded in the head at Rocky Face, Georgia in May 1864, during the defense of Atlanta from Sherman’s Union Army. He never recovered from the wound, and died in May, 1866.
John Henry was a farmer in Heard County, Georgia, and in 1850 he married his cousin, Martha Washington Dyer. John and Martha had eight children, all born in Heard Co, Ga: Mary E., John Enoch, Moses (Major) Allen C., twins, William Elias J. M., and Sarah C. J. T., Daniel Henry, Emily Catherine, and Joseph Samuel Lee.
Joseph Samuel Lee (Joe) Gay remained with his mother and, as he grew to adulthood, helped to operate their Heard County farm. The Reconstruction policies of the federal government against Confederate veterans resulted in the family being “taxed” out of their property.
Like many other victims of the harsh Reconstruction Governments of the defeated South, most of John Henry’s children headed west with the loss of the family farm. John Enoch Gay and wife Nancy (b. 1853 Tn) moved to Titus Co, Tx. Joe, Daniel Henry, and mother, Martha Washington Gay moved to Carroll Co, Ar (Kings River Twp). Daniel Henry Gay married Synthia Catharine Stamps on Nov 3, 1881 in Carroll Co, Ar. They moved to Wise Co, Tx, on to Morris Co, Tx, back to Carroll Co, Ar, then, from Arkansas to Oklahoma twice. Joe Gay returned to Georgia and married Mary Alice Atkinson on Oct 11, 1885 in Heard County. (She was daughter of Joseph Potter Atkinson (b. Nov 29, 1832 Sussex Co, Va), and Mary Benefield.). They moved to Texas.
Moses (Major) Allen C. Gay and wife Esther, and Emily C. (Gay) and husband Richard Franklin Ferguson moved to Carroll County, Arkansas. Moses A. C. moved on to Dallas Co, Tx. Sarah C. J. T. (Gay) and husband McAllen Calvin Landis moved to Washington County, Nebraska. They relocated to Carroll Co, Ar, then, on to Scipio, Ok.
William Elias J. M. Gay and wife Susan Warren, and Mary E. (Gay) and husband John S. Langley initially remained in Heard County, Georgia; then, followed their kin to Carroll Co, Ar.
Joe and Alice Gay’s first child, James M., was born in Jefferson, Tx. Joe and Alice moved to Cason Community, Titus County (now Morris County), Tx, to work on the farm of George Washington Sewell. (Mr. Sewell was the son of Private David Sewell, CSA, who was killed in the Battle of Atlanta.) Joe and Alice Gay had nine more children: George Henry, Don L., Estella, John Cranford, Major Allen, Milton, Pauline, J. D., and Clemma. In the winter of 1912, Alice took ill and passed away on May 6, 1913. Mr. Sewell’s daughter, Mattic Cordelia, had become nurse to Alice and caregiver to her children during her illness. Mattie continued to care for the Gay household after Alice’s death. On Nov 9,1913, Joe Gay and Mattie Cordelia Sewell were married. Mr. Sewell was furious that his daughter had married without his permission - and to a hired hand. He banished both from the farm and shunned them during his life. Joe Gay bought land in the Center Hill Community of Cass County, and established the Gay homestead there in 1918. There were three children born to the union of Joe and Mattie: George Seal, Joseph Lee, and Elvis Calvin. George Seal “Buster” Gay married Effie Marie Shew (b. Aug 11, 1920 Bairdstown, Tx, d. Apr 12, 2003, Center Hill, Tx) on July 31, 1937 at Mill Creek, Texas. Following Joe Gay’s death on Apr 14, 1939, Buster continued to work the family farm. He also worked for the Texas Department of Transportation in Linden. Buster and Marie had seven children: Billy Wayne, Roy Paul, Margie Laveria, John Waylon, Glenda Marie, Jean, and Harold Dean. Billy Wayne and Edith M. Taylor (b. Feb 14, 1933) Gay live in Houston, Texas. Roy Paul and Ella Joyce Meggs (b. Jan 20, 1942) Gay live in Kildare Community, Cass County, and have three children: Karla D’Ann (b. Apr 12, 1964) m. Elmer Cleveland Braddock, Jr. (b. Apr 19, 1962), and have two children - Matthew Paul (b. Dec 31, 1985) and Mason Paul (b. Jan 27, 1992); Maria Darlene (b. Aug 31, 1967) m. Robert Wayne Tillett (b. Oct 3, 1957); Staci Ranea (b. Nov 26, 1969) m. Stanley Curtis Wells (b. Jul 13, I960), and have two children - Taylor Ranea (b. Oct 1,1993) and Curtis William (b. Jul 5, 1997). Margie L. (Gay) and Richard Reed (b, Mar 6, 1937) live in Dallas, Texas, and have one son, Brian Kelly (b. Dec 6, 1970) m. Brenda Kristine Robinson (b. Jan 15, 1971 MI) and one daughter — Kristine Nicole (Robinson)(b. Mar 11, 1993 Commerce, MI).. John Waylon and Irma Faye Reed (b. Nov 9, 1953) Gay live in Garland, Texas, and have two daughters - Kimberly Ann (b. Jun 27 1969) m. Joe Perez (b. Jul 15, 1953), and Tina Marie (b. Aug 23, 1972) m. Daniel W. Hollingsworth (b. Nov 7, 1968), and have one son - Bryce Christian (b. May 20, 1997). Glenda Marie (Gay) m. Michael L. Sasser (b. Feb 27,1947, d. Feb 16,1996 Arlington, Tx) lives in Queen City, Cass County, Texas, and has one son - Michael Scott (b. Sep 1, 1970) m. Kellie Lynne Hanagan (b. Mar 22,1972), and have three children - Joshua Austin (Taylor) (b. Aug 12,1991), Mary Ann (b. Sep 21, 1992), and Chance (b. Mar 12, 1994). Jean G. (Gay) and Russell G. Wright (b. Jul 28, 1943 Cape Girardeau, Mo) live in the Cave Springs Community, Cass County, Texas, and have two sons - Ernest Andrew (b. Jun 17, 1968 Tokyo, Japan) m. Racheal Hine Nilson (b. Sep 20,1967 Endicott, NY), and have one daughter - Alexa Shane Wallis (b. Mar 26, 2003 Seattle, Wa), and Travis Adam (b. Jul 17, 1970 Tucson, Az).
Joseph Lee (JL) Gay married Carrie Marie Reed (b. May 7, 1919 Titus Co, Tx) on Apr 16, 1936 in Linden, Tx. JL worked in the timber industry in Linden for many years, before moving to the Houston, Texas area. He owned and operated a Gulf Oil truckstop in Houston.
After retirement, JL and Marie moved back to the Gay homestead in Center Hill. They had three children: Lelda Ruth, Betty Jean, and Gary Lee. Lelda Ruth married James E. Traylor on Dec 23, 1953 in Houston, Tx. They had two children: Michael Wayne (b. Sep 23, 1956) and James Mark (b. Dec 17, 1958). Betty Jean married Ernest Edward Reams on Jun 4, 1960 in Houston, Tx., and they had one daughter — Tammy Denise (b. Feb 28, 1961 Houston, Tx). Gary Lee married Cappie Otto on Nov 15, 1972 and they had two children: Amy Christine (b. Oct 8, 1974 Pasadena, Tx) and Stephen Lee (b. Mar 26, 1976 Pasadena, Tx).